A bed is where you sleep. A bed is where you relax. A bed can even be a place where you kick back to watch TV. But in behavioral healthcare settings – environments where beds are almost always a staple – beds can pose either a risk or provide a solution regarding patient/staff safety, all depending on the prowess in which the bed was manufactured and installed.

Norix® Furniture’s Attenda® Bed and Riser – specially developed after meetings with officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs and part of Norix® Furniture’s complete line of behavioral healthcare furniture – was created to help behavioral healthcare facilities keep their environments secure and sanitized, while also minimizing staff and patient injuries.

The two pieces (photo, right) are molded in high-impact polymer, with the optional riser raising the bed’s 15-inch sleep surface an additional eight inches. It also has an   applicable nomenclature to boot.

But safety, security and easy sanitation are the most important takeaways when considering the Attenda® Bed and Riser. Below, read how the product provides these safeguards and why it is a superior bed made especially for the challenging environments in behavioral healthcare facilities.

Patient Safety

It’s one of the biggest challenges that behavioral healthcare facilities face: Some patients will attempt to harm themselves or even commit suicide while under care. There are many ways that facilities can create processes and choose the right product to prevent this, and selecting the right bed is no exception.

For example, the Attenda® Bed and Riser are made of seamless construction and come with no feet, meaning there are no ligature or tie-off points. Additionally, the product’s high-impact polymer and is highly durable. This means no cracks or holes for patients to hide contraband or other items which they can use for self-harm.  And, obviously, this is by no accident. The bed was designed and engineered with patient safety in mind – a commitment that is at the very foundation of Norix® Furniture’s mission.

Lift Devices and Staff Safety

As noted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) research, there were 27,020 musculoskeletal disorder injuries reported in 2010 among healthcare workers. This number is “more than seven times the average for all industries.”

According to the OSHA report, these “injuries are due in large part to overexertion related to repeated manual patient handling activities, often involving heavy manual lifting associated with transferring, and repositioning patients and working in extremely awkward postures.”

To help healthcare facilities prevent these injuries, the Attenda® Bed and Riser accommodates patient lift devices that help relieve the stress placed upon staff mem­bers when moving patients manually. Also, the addition of the riser adds an extra eight inches to the bed and creates a staff-friendly height when bending down to care for patients while – as an added bonus – also providing easy patient egress.

Easy to Clean and Sanitize

As mentioned before, the Attenda® Bed and Riser are one piece, rotationally molded products. That means no seams, crevices or holes for bodily fluids to leak into. Additionally, the high-impact polymer is water proof and easy to clean and sanitize. No dirt, no bodily fluids and no spills to worry about.

Installation options

Like most Norix® products, the Attenda® Bed and Riser give you options. The bed and riser can be mounted to the floor, preventing it from being moved or displaced. It also can be caulked to the walls to thwart the accumulation of bodily fluids between the bed and wall, while also eradicating yet another place where contraband can be concealed.

The product also can be installed as a free-standing unit and facilities can take advantage of the riser’s knock out access port and push cap that allows it to be ballasted (add weight to – we recommend dry play sand) so it won’t easily be moved if the facility decides not to mount the bed to the floor.

In conclusion

This is just an overview of how the Attenda® Bed and Riser can foster a safer environment and cut down on injuries.

You also can learn more about Norix® Furniture’s meeting with V.A. officials and how the idea for the Attenda® Bed and Riser was born.

Click here to learn more about our complete line of behavioral healthcare furniture.